Heal (Sequel to Hurt-A Bethyl Fanfic)
by gangsta'sgirl
Summary: Sequel to Hurt. Daryl and Beth are on their own and getting to know each other all over again. Will Daryl still choose this new Beth? With danger lurking around every corner in this new world, will they find safety in each other? Rated M for Language, Smut and Violence. TEMPORARY HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I do NOT own or profit from these characters. I hope you all enjoy this story. I'm excited for what's to come! Yay! Let me know what you guys think!**_

DPOV

Daryl opened his eyes and immediately noticed that Beth was no longer in their shared bed. It had been two weeks since they'd left the R.V. and they'd been holed up in a house that Morgan and Beth had used as a stash spot. They'd hidden food and supplies in the house and Daryl couldn't help but be impressed. But he was currently agitated because Beth had yet to talk to him about anything unless it was about here and now. She always snuck off in the mornings to do God knows what and he knew he didn't have to worry about her. She was tough. But he did. He worried. And he got angry.

Now, he was angry and tired because sleeping next to Beth every night and not having her was torture and he couldn't sleep. With a growl and some incoherent mumbling he swung his legs out of the bed and slipped his jeans on before grabbing his long-sleeved henley and his boots. After dressing, he grabbed his crossbow and knife and went down the stairs.

The back door was open, letting in cool, crisp air and he saw Brutus laying on the porch, large black head on his paws and eyes closed. Beth couldn't be far if Brutus was there so Daryl headed out the porch. The blonde in question was sitting on the porch railing holding a small cup of coffee and watching the sunrise.

Daryl knew she'd heard his footsteps, she was good like that, so he wasn't surprised that she didn't jump or flinch when he moved to stand next to her. He didn't touch her, but there wasn't much space between them and he could feel her heat, her energy as she just stared at the horizon.

"You want to spar with me today?" She asked without looking at him.

"You'll pull your stitches again." He said as he glanced at her. "You're already gonna have two nasty scars."

"I'm not real worried about scars." She said with a slight smirk. "I have enough of them."

"Exactly. You have enough." He said.

"Do they bother you?" She asked, still looking away.

Daryl was starting to feel like she brought up sparring so that she oculd have this conversation. He wasn't sure what kind of mood she was in but he didn't lie to Beth.

"No. Not for the reasons you think."

"Why do they bother you?"

"Because someone hurt you. And I wasn't there to stop it." He said as he pushed back that familiar rage, that self-desructive hate.

"We hurt them back. Both of us." She said. "We repaid Dawn for the physical scars."

He stayed silent as she talked, he didn't think she was fully here with him but if that's what she needed to finally talk then he would give it to her.

"I killed Gorman." He frowned at the unfamiliar name passing her lips. "Well, I used a walker to kill him. And I killed another guy. I can't even remember his name now."

She shook her head as she trailed off but still Daryl stayed silent. He didn't know who those men were or why she'd killed them. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to know.

"I killed people with Morgan. Bad people. A woman. A baby. I don't remember any of their names."

When she finally looked at him, there were tears in her eyes and a strange smile on her lips. A light shone from her eyes and Daryl felt a moment of panic, remembering the farm, the broken mirror, her blood, her scar.

"I can't remember their names. I come out here every morning. Every. Single. God. Damn. Morning. And I think about them. Their faces. Their death. And I can't remember their names."

Beth started to cry and Daryl moved closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her close. He was surprised when she lay her head on his shoulder but he very carefully didn't move.

"I wanted to tell you their names." She said in a broken voice.

BPOV

As Beth scrubbed herself quickly, using boiled water from the well on the property, she tried to push past the fact that she'd just cried all over Daryl. Again. That seemed to be becoming a habit of hers and she didn't like it much. She hissed as she ran the rag over her stitches on her thigh and looked at the inflamed skin. She'd have to remove the stitches and maybe let the wound heal on it's own. Which meant, no walking around. She touched the skin again and held her breath to keep from yelping out loud. Daryl would have to do it. She couldn't hurt herself like that, she'd chicken out. Daryl would just pull the stitches and he was strong enough to hold her down if he had to. And honestly, he'd probabaly have to.

She rinsed her skin and dried off before slipping on a pair of panties and a tank top, she didn't put any pants on because she'd just ave to take them off again. Leaving the bathroom, she ran her fingers through her freshly washed hair, trying to untangle the curls before she combed it.

"Daryl?" She called softly as she started towards their shared room.

He was in the doorway in seconds and his eyes widened when he saw her state of undress. His blue eyes darted between her legs, her hips, her chest and then her face, never staring at one area too long. She would've laughed but her leg was beginning to burn and itch and she needed something done now.

"Can you take these stitches out?" She asked as she pointed at her thigh. "I can't do it or I would've."

"Yeah. Come on." He said as he stepped back into the room.

She followed after him and soon found herself laying on the bed, a towel folded underneath her in case the wound started bleeding. Daryl touched the stitches and she felt her muscled twitch. She bit her lip so she wouldn't cry out but it hurt. God, did it hurt.

As he turned his back, Beth let out the breath she'd been holding and tried to breath slowly. When he turned back around she was still focusing on her breathing and jumped when something cold touched her leg.

"Bactine." Daryl said as he held up the bottle.

She nodded and felt the burning subside slightly along with the itching. Daryl crawled onto the bed and held up a small pair of silver scissors. She looked at them for a moment before looking at Daryl and nodding that she was ready.

He began to cut the thread and she was just grateful that it was thin and not that horrible wire stuff. When he started pulling the pieces through her skin she struggled not to cry out and finally just gripped his t-shirt, twisting it in her fingers.

"Talk to me." Daryl said and she had to breathe in before she could reply.

"About what?" She asked.

"Anything. Sing a song."

"Sing?" She would've laughed if she could've.

"Do something besides hold your breath." He said to her.

"Okay. Um. When you guys first showed up on the farm. I had a crush on you." She said. "You and your motorcycle and your crossbow."

"You had a crush on my motorcycle and my crossbow?"He asked her.

"Hey. I was sixteen, okay? And the bike and the bow were hot. They added to the sex appeal." She did laugh then.

"What did you know about sex appeal at sixteen?"

"Enough to know that I really, really wanted to ride that bike with you." She said, not caring that this used to be an embarassing memory. "God, but it was hot."

"Really?" He said.

"Oh, yeah." She said as she remembered. "But it's not like you noticed me back then."

"You don't think I noticed the hot farmer's daughter?" He asked in a low voice.

"We ain't talkin' 'bout Maggie." Beth said with a half laugh.

"I know we ain't." Daryl said. "Believe me, I know it. I remember seein' this hot, young blonde thing in tight jeans and cowboy boots. Sixteen years old. Too young for a man like me but damn did I notice. So did every other man."

"Yeah, right." She said with a slight huff.

"If you ever tell Rick I told you, I'll deny it, but we talked about you a few times back on that farm."

"Rick was married." She said.

"Married not blind." Daryl answered as he turned to face her. "And you was just a fantasy back then. Out of reach. Sunshine and sweetness and sin in a world full of dakness and death. A dream."

"Why didn't you say somethin'?" Beth said in a voice gone low.

The way Daryl was looking at her had her forgetting that she was hurt, that he'd just removed her stitches. That she was damaged.

"You was sixteen, Beth. I was thirty-four. What was I supposed to say?" He asked as he looked into her eyes, his own hooded with desire.

"Kiss me now, Daryl." She said, voice barely a whisper.

"What about-" He started to ask.

"Kiss me." Beth said again.

His mouth crashed against hers and she gasped. Their tongues tangled and her hands moved to his too long hair, tangling in the dark strands. He seemed hesitant to put his hands anywhere so Beth pulled back to look at him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I can't do this if you're jus' gonna stop, Beth. I'm dyin' here and you can't offer me a drop of water but keep the bottle. You get me?" He said as he stared at her.

She nodded and moved to kiss him again but he stopped her and sat back.

"Just think about it first, Beth. You said we need to talk first and that ain't happened yet. I can't take no back and forth. I need you to be sre just as much as you need me to be sure."

Beth moved back, laying her head on the bed again as she thought about what he said. He was right, of course. Daryl usually was.

"Okay." She finally said. "I'll think about it."

"Let's get some sleep." Daryl said before cleaning the bed off from removing her stitches.

For the first time, she noticed there was a thick layer of gauze taped to her thigh and she had no idea when he did that. He'd distracted her well with his story and his kiss.

He slid into the bed next to her and didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. She breathed a sigh of relief that they had gotten here, a place where they didn't feel the need to pull away from each other. As her eyes grew heavy with sleep she felt Daryl bury his face against the back of her neck and she couldn't keep a small smile from her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I do NOT own these characters (except Brutus) and I do NOT profit from them or this story. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Thank you to everyone for favoriting, following and reviewing. Please review this chapter. Feedback is a wonderful thing and really keeps me motivated. Thanks! Enjoy!**_

 _ **P.S. All mistakes are mine. I edit my own stuff. Sorry for any mistakes.**_

DPOV

When Daryl's eyes opened, the first thing he noticed was his arms wrapped around a very warm and very soft Beth Greene. This was the first time she hadn't snuck out of bed before him and as he lay there he began to notice how they were laying. At some point he had wrapped one hand around her waist and his hand was tucked securely between her thighs, the back of his hand touching the gauze he'd taped over her wound.

His other arms was curved over her ribs, his hand holding her breast with nothing but the thin cloth of her tank top between their skin. He took a moment to pull her closer, as close as he could get her, and pressed his face to the side of her throat, inhaling slowly and deeply before exhaling again. His fingers flexed at the smell of her, that familiar smell of coffee and vanilla and cherries. He'd never understand how she always smelled like that, how she smelled so good in the middle of the end of the world.

She arched against him as his fingers dug into the soft skin of her breast and thigh, making a sound between a moan and a whimper. He groaned lowly, growing hard against her back. He flexed his hips, an involuntary reaction that didn't require much thinking on his part.

"Daryl, if you keep this up I'm not gonna have to think. I'm not gonna be able to think." Beth said in a hoarse voice.

Slowly, he relaxed his hold on her, her words tempting him. He couldn't resist dragging his hands away from her. Touching the bend in her leg where thigh met hip, fingers grazing a hardened nipple. She did moan then and he felt a smug grin take over his face for just a minute. He quickly straightened his expression before Beth could catch him and give him hell.

As he stood up out of bed he felt Beth roll over and he looked over his shoulder, catching her eyes with his.

"You need to take it easy, so you don't reopen that wound, it's healin' good." He said as he slipped his jeans over his hips. "I'ma check out a few o' these houses today. I know you said you and Morgan ain't have much of a chance to do it before."

"Okay." She said with a yawn. "I think I might read or somethin'. I can't jus' lay here bored."

He nodded as he slipped a wife-beater over his head. As he pulled it down to cover his chest and stomach he felt Beth's eyes on his back and he looked over at him again.

"Why angel wings?" She asked in a low voice, unsure.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned back around to pick up his t-shirt. He thought maybe he'd been comfortable with his scars now, and he was, but he wasn't sure how to answer her question. He had no idea what to tell her about the things he'd felt, the things he'd done, when he thought she was gone forever.

"I've seen the other scars, Daryl. I've seen all of them." She said from behind him.

He jumped when he felt her fingers graze his forearm and the four letters there. Her small fingers continued down the inside of his arm, to his wrist, and traced the straight lines there. The only real straight lines, the first scars he'd made when he'd thought about dying. When he'd considered ending it all.

Beth moved around him, stopping only when she was directly in front of him, and pulled the t-shirt from his hands. She kept her eyes down as she traced over the scars, starting at his hands, his scarred knuckles, and moving up over his wrists, his forearms, his biceps. When she had touched all the scars that were bared to her she looked up at him finally and he was surprised to see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She told him.

"For what?" He asked her in confusion.

"For hurtin' you so much." She whispered. "For makin' you feel like this."

Daryl did the only thing he could do and pulled Beth into his arms in a tight hug. He pressed his face to her hair and breathed her in as he just held on tightly. After a moment, they both pulled back slowly and looked at each other. Beth lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his lightly, a chaste kiss. She pulled back and smiled softly, seeming more at ease.

"Be careful out there." She told him before moving to get back in the bed.

BPOV

With a huff, she threw the book down onto the bed and pressed her hands to her eyes. It wasn't the books fault. It was no one's fault really. How was she to know that the house only had romance novels? It's not like that was a priority when scouting where you were going to stay in the apocalypse.

But now, her skin felt hot and there was a very light throb between her legs. This abstinence thing had never bothered her before. The last time she'd had sex before the end of the world was at Jimmy's house. It had been fumbling and awkward and she hadn't got much out of it because they were both terribly inexperienced. But she hadn't minded because he'd been sweet and gentle and it had felt good. Just not good enough to get her off.

Of course, she'd touched herself before and after that. She knew what she liked but she'd been too embarrassed to share those thoughts with Jimmy at the time. So she'd touched herself a few times. Then they were on the run and she hadn't really thought about it. It wasn't the time or place for such things.

When they'd found the prison, she'd managed to be alone a few times but not often, there were too many responsibilities. Zach had come along and they'd had sex twice and it was better, he had more experience. But not much more. Plus, it was the end of the world and they didn't have the leisure of time like she'd had at Jimmy's before everything went to hell.

Then she'd been on the run with Daryl and oh, boy, did she think about it then. Who wouldn't? Daryl may have been a dick at first but he was manly and muscular and sweaty and she couldn't help it. Even when he was pissed off and yelling, she wanted him, maybe even wanted him more than what she usually did. And when they'd fought. Oh. She'd had so many sex dreams about him she was surprised she hadn't propositioned him in her sleep.

But at the hospital she never really thought about sex, not unless she couldn't sleep and she'd be thinking about her family and then Daryl and that ruush of arousal would hit her. On the run with Morgan, after she'd been shot, she didn't think she'd ever think about sex again.

Now, she knew what sex with Daryl was like and it was spectacular.

Sitting up in the bed, she shoved the book to the floor and got up. She couldn't stay in bed, the bed that smelled like Daryl, and keep her head straight. So, she pulled a pair of leggings on and added socks and a thin sweatshirt, before walking down the stairs and looking around the house.

Brutus had left with Daryl, having become attached to him since it was only the three of them. Seeing that the house was a little messy from being uninhabited for so long, she took the opportunity to straighten some things up. As long as she didn't strain her muscle, the wound shouldn't reopen.

So, she filled a bucket with some water and grabbed a few old scraps of cloth so she could wipe everything down. It felt good to do something besides lay around and think about regrets so she pushed those thoughts out of her head and focused on her work as she hummed.

She was done with the living room and working in the kitchen when she heard the front door open. Her hand was already on her gun that she'd lay on the counter when she recognized the familiar footsteps followed by the clack of nails hitting hardwood.

"Beth?" Daryl called out.

"In here." She said, prepared for him to try to lecture her about staying in bed.

"Whatchu doin' up?" He asked her gently.

When Beth looked over at him and noticed the way he was looking at her. It wasn't desire, though she could see that clearly in the way his hands twitched and his eyes skipped from her hips to her face. His brow was furrowed and he wasn't frowning exactly, it was more of a thoughtful expression. Like he was concerned. She felt her heart skip and then swell with emotion and without a word she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You feelin' okay?" Daryl asked her with his lips pressed to her hair.

"I'm fine." She answered automatically.

"You sure? I never really asked about yer hands after-" He trailed off and Beth pulled back slightly.

Looking up into his eyes she saw a mixture of concern and anxiety. She wasn't used to these emotions from Daryl, when they'd been alone he'd started to open up but he was still guarded. Now, he didn't hide anything from her.

"My hands healed fine. They were jus' bruised and scraped. You know how that is." She smiled slightly.

"And?" He asked as his brow furrowed.

"The bullet wound? It was jus' a graze, Daryl. Barely bled." She told him. "See?"

Stepping back further, Beth grabbed the waistband of her leggings and pulled them down a little ways, her panties going down, too. When the material was below her hipbone she ran a finger along the faint pink scar where Kayla had shot her. She wasn't expecting Daryl to reach out and run his finger along the same path. Her breathing stopped as a path of fire blazed along her skin.

Unexpectedly, Daryl dropped to his knees in front of her. The thought of moving backwards crossed her mind fleetingly but it floated away as his warm breath hit her skin. His blue eyes looked electric as he stared up at her. She almost swore she could see lightning flash in the stormy depths as the air around them seemed to crackle.

When his soft, pink lips touched her skin the breath she'd been holding came whooshing out of her lungs. She felt shaky as he pressed his lips more firmly against her scar on her hip. His lips parted and she felt a cool wetness as his tongue grazed her skin before his teeth gently nipped at her flesh.

"Daryl." She whispered, knowing they needed to stop before it got out of hand.

She moved her hand away from the material of her leggings, intending to pull them back in place, and Daryl's hand quickly replaced hers. Biting her lip, she swallowed the whimper that tried to escape. He was still looking into her eyes as he slowly moved his lips across her skin. The caress was almost too much for her and she felt her legs begin to shake.

Daryl smirked against her as he licked a slow trail between her hipbones. His teeth followed and Beth was soaking wet. She fought not to squirm when his mouth started to move lower, his hand pulling her panties and leggings even lower.

"Daryl." She whimpered, wanting him and also wanting him to stop.

"Tell me what to do and I will, Beth." He told her, his warm breath on her moist skin.

Chills covered her body and she shivered.

"We have to stop." She managed to whisper hoarsely.

"Okay." He said.

Before he stood up, Daryl placed one last kiss against her lower stomach and readjusted her clothes. She drew in a deep breath as he walked over to the table and removed his crossbow. Beth let herself watch him for a minute, unashamed of her lust for him, before turning to their supply of food.

"What's for dinner?" Daryl asked her as he sat down in a chair and scratched Brutus behind the ears.

"Pemmican and rice." She answered as she stirred the pot on the wood stove.

"Where'd you learn about that stuff?" He asked her curiously.

"What? Pimmecan?"

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised you don't know about it. But I learned it from my dad." She told him with a shrug.

He made a noncommital noise and she started to dish up their dinner. They ate quickly and cleaned their plates before it started to get too dark. Silently, they made their way up to their room, Brutus following and laying down on the pallet they'd made him.

Beth removed her sweatshirt and leggings so she could check her bandage. Daryl had already undressed on his side of the bed and walked over to her. The wound seemed to be healing good but there was blood on the gauze so Daryl helped her change it before they crawled into bed. If Beth had been worried about things being strained, she wasn't worried now as Daryl pulled her to him, her back against his chest, and held her tightly in his arms. Things were slowly starting to look up.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I do NOT own or profit from any of the characters or this work of fiction. YAY! An update! Sorry it took so long. Like I said on my other fic, I've had some things going on. But this should be a regular thing again and I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Please review! And as always, thanks for all previous faves/reviews/follows! You guys are great! Constructive criticism is welcome but please don't be mean on purpose! All mistakes are mine! Enjoy!**_

DPOV

As he swiped a rag over his crossbow, cleaning and oiling all the nooks and crannies. Making sure everything would run smoothly when it was needed to. He used to think in terms of _if_. Now, it was always _when_. _When_ would they have to run. _When_ would one of them get hurt. _When_ would one of them die. It was always _when_. He wasn't sure how many of them were even left. Was Alexandria still standing or had it already fallen? He felt like that was also only a matter of time. It had been a good run. The longest one yet. But nothing lasted anymore. Nothing good did anyway. And he hadn't seen his family in close to four months. It was hard to keep track of things like that sometimes. But judging by the state of Beth's injuries now, the way they were healing, they'd been at the house around two weeks. And judging by her scars, it'd been months.

He made another pass over his bow with the rag before putting them both on the table and standing up. With a stretch, bones popping, he made his way towards the backyard. Beth had went out there with Brutus, saying she couldn't just sit around anymore. He wasn't sure what she'd planned to do but he knew she'd been out there for a while.

What he found surprised him. Beth was sitting on an old swing that was hanging from a tree limb, the rope looking frayed but strong. Her back was facing him but her voice was low and clear as she started to sing. Something she hadn't done since she'd come back to him.

"I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do. But I continue learning. I never meant to do those things to you."

Daryl knew she didn't know he was there. He recognized the song she was singing. It'd come out years ago. Been real popular but not something he'd cared to listen to at the time. Ain't nobody ever tell him sorry for anything they'd done to him and he knew they never would.

"And so I have to say before I go that I just want you to know. I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new. And the reason is you."

His heart thumped in his chest, but he tried to ignore it. She'd promised not to leave him again and he mostly believed her. Even if they stayed out in the wild for the rest of their lives, he'd stick by her side. He didn't need Alexandria. Or Rick, Carol, Michonne, any of them. And honestly, they'd understand. They'd understood when he ran off with Merle. They'd understood when he'd left Alexandria to be on his own. They'd understood when he ran after Beth. They'd understand if he never came back. He'd find a way to tell their family that they were alive.

He stepped off of the porch, Brutus lifting his head and Beth looking over her shoulder as he walked across the grass. He thought she'd quit singing but he should've known better. She got up and moved around the swing, sitting back down facing him, still singing.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. It's something I must live with everyday. And all the pain I put you through. I wish that I could take it all away."

His breath caught in his chest as he stopped in front of her and caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes. His own eyes burned as he listened to what she was trying to say to him.

"And be the one who catches all your tears. That's why I need you to hear. I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new. And the reason is you. And the reason is you."

Daryl knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her denim covered thighs, just above her knees, as her tears fell. It was a quiet crying, something he hadn't seen much of in his life. Her voice stayed steady as the salty liquid tracked down her cheeks.

"I'm not a perfect person. I never meant to do those things to you. And so I have to say before I go that I just want you to know. I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new. And the reason is you."

His hands, rough and dirty, callused and scarred, slid up her legs to her hips. Instead of stopping there, he kept going, reaching for her waist and she stood up, letting him wrap his arms around her and press his temple into her belly.

"I've found a reason to show a side of me you didn't know. A reason for all that I do. And the reason is you."

As her voice faded, her hands moved from his shoulders and back to his hair. She twined her fingers through the locks, pressing herself closer to him for a moment before he pulled her down.

When she was kneeling in front of him, he pulled her closer, one arm around her shoulders, the other around her waist, holding her as she clutched at his leather covered back. Her breath shuddered out of her but her tears stayed silent except for the occasional sniffle.

The sun changed positions as they sat there, not speaking, just holding onto each other, before Beth slowly pulled away. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands before looking at him with a small smile and standing up. She reached a hand down for him and he took it, knowing her strength, physical and mental, even if she sometimes didn't.

Without a word, she led him inside, closing the door after Brutus had come in with them. The dog walked into the living room, jumping on the couch and curling up, as they headed up the stairs. He didn't like to assume things when it came to Beth, that had already gotten him into trouble before, but he thought they might be headed for the bedroom.

She opened the door to the room and toed off her boots before turning to him and grabbing both of his hands in hers. He could feel her firm, quiet strength radiating through her body, through her hands, and into his. Giving him some of her steadiness. That's when he noticed his hands shaking. His whole body shaking.

Beth didn't comment on it, which Daryl was grateful for.

Slowly, he toed his own boots off, and kicked them to the side, out of their way. When he did, Beth walked backwards, urging him silently to go with her, to follow her. And he did. He'd follow her anywhere. Everywhere.

Suddenly, she was sitting down and he looked down on her, shocked by the sudden change. A smile lit up her face, her eyes shining in a different way, her skin glowing like a candle was lit inside her, and something in his chest loosened. Something that had been knotted and tense since he watched her body fall to that hospital floor.

Letting go of his hands, she pushed herself backwards on the bed and lay back. She beckoned to him with one finger and his knees hit the mattress. He looked down at her body, feet planted on top of the comforter, knees bent, one hand on her belly and the other behind her head. Such a deceptively relaxed position.

He could see the pulse jumping in the hollow at the base of her throat. Her thighs were tense, fingers digging into her belly above the fabric of her shirt. She licked her lips before swallowing and he moved closer, still on his knees.

When his legs touched her thighs he placed his hands on her knees and lightly pushed, her legs spreading willingly. He let his hands glide up the light denim of her jeans until his fingers met the crease where her thighs ended and her pelvis began. Lightly running his fingers back and forth, eyes scanning her face, her own eyes like a stormy ocean. Blue and gray swirling to meet black and he could almost feel the crash of salt water over stones as old as the earth itself.

As his fingers danced over her hips and slipped inside the waistband of her jeans, she sucked in a breath and held it, only releasing it when he popped the button open. Daryl wasn't sure where this was going, how far it was going, but he would follow her lead. The thought passed through his mind, again, he'd follow her anywhere.

Her hips lifted but instead of pulling her jeans down, Daryl pressed his palms to her lower stomach between her hipbones, his fingers reached under her shirt and past her belly button. She sucked her stomach in, almost like she was trying to get away but he knew better than that. Sliding his palms up, his fingers touched the bare skin of the under sides of her breasts, and he was surprised to know she wasn't wearing a bra.

Moving his hands had caused her shirt to rise, the fabric bunched around his wrists and her skin bare at her waist. Without really thinking, only knowing he wanted to taste her, he leaned down and pressed his lips to the pale smoothness. Beth sighed and he opened his mouth, letting his tongue caress her before his teeth nipped gently. She jumped but didn't pull away so he opened his mouth wider, pressing down before biting. Her breathy gasp met his ears and he pulled back to see a perfect impression of his teeth next to her belly button.

Kissing the mark, he slid up further, his mouth moved over her ribs and back down, his lips touched her hipbones, he managed to taste every inch of her stomach and she was writhing underneath him. He finally let his hands move up farther, touching her breasts, palms gliding over her nipples. Then his lips were there, too. Licking, nipping, biting, pulling, scraping.

She cried out and wrapped her legs around the backs of his thighs. He tried to pull back, wanting to tease her just a little longer, but in the moment he'd forgotten her physical abilities. She bucked her hips as she gripped his shoulders and flipped him. He ended up with his back on the mattress and her straddling him. She tugged her shirt off and he swallowed roughly, unable to do anything else. But then he found his voice.

"Are you sure?" He managed.

She seemed to hesitate and dropped her hands to her sides limply.

"I don't know." She answered quietly. "I want to. I want to so bad. But-" She stopped and looked down, biting her lip.

"It's okay." He told her. "We don't have to. Let me do something else for you."

Before she could protest, he pulled her down next to him and slipped a hand into her jeans and under the cotton of her panties. Daryl cupped her lightly and she sucked in a harsh breath. Sliding his fingers over her, he slipped one between her lips and touched her entrance, finding her soaked.

Knowing he could, he slipped his finger inside of her, feeling her clench around him as a groan came from her throat. His lips crashed against hers as he thrust his finger in and out, pressing the heel of his palm against her clit every time he pressed in. Her hips quickly started to rock, first front to back, then side to side before settling into a circular motion. He kept the pace steady as his lips moved from her jaw to her throat then back up. It didn't take her long and she was calling his name, scraping her nails against his arm and the comforter. He kept going, bringing her out of her orgasm and taking her into another one, her hips grinding against the friction, before finally sliding his hand out of her pants. Her juices coated his hand but she didn't seem to mind as he gripped her hip. He kissed a lazy path across her collar bones, listening to her catch her breath, until she started to sit up.

Standing up, she slipped her jeans down her legs, leaving her panties on, and climbed back into the bed. She looked tired, so Daryl removed his own shirt and jeans and crawled into bed with her. He was still hard as steel but he ignored it. He'd been ignoring it, it wouldn't kill him to ignore it now.

As he pulled the cover over them, Beth slid closer to him and put one arm across his stomach before slipping a leg over his. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her bare breasts press into his side, and enjoying the warm weight of her. She fell asleep quickly but he lay there, feeling her heartbeat, listening to her breathe, needing her to last. To be the last man standing.

Without giving it much thought he whispered into her ear.

"You can't ever go where I can't follow you, girl. Not even the afterlife could keep me away."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I do NOT own any of the characters except Brutus. I do NOT profit from this work of fiction. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thank you all for the faves, reviews, and follows. Let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticism is always welcome but please be nice. So, ENJOY!**_

BPOV

Her feet pressed into the soft soil as she pumped her legs, running, running, running. Her breath was coming fast but she couldn't really feel it. She wasn't breathless. Not like she should've been. All at once, she stopped, her bare toes digging into the dirt and feeling the damp earth. Looking around, she didn't recognize anything familiar. She began shivering, her body suddenly cold, and she looked down to see why she could suddenly feel the wind. When she realized she was only wearing panties and a camisole her heart skipped a beat. She'd been here before. She knew this place well and she knew she couldn't leave until it all played out.

Her dreams had never been this way before she got shot. If she'd ever realized she was in a dream, she'd wake up. But now, she was always stuck. Especially this particular one. It was strange and frightening at first. It still was but she'd gotten used to the fear. She knew that wasn't a good thing but there wasn't much she could do about it.

With a renewed sense of purpose she started running again. She could hear the howl of wolves, the hoot of owls, and the scrape of cloth against tree branches. The trees started to thin out as she ran and she stumbled into a clearing, the grass brushing her thighs. She threw herself to the ground and began to slowly crawl, trying not to be seen. But she knew she'd be found. That's how it always happened.

A whistle split the still night air and her breathing hitched. That was new. How? Unable to control her impulses, she stood up and tried to run. She made it to the other side of the clearing before she heard a thunk and saw an arrow stick in the tree by her head. She recognized the green on the end and whirled around to see a familiar dark figure. A sob got stuck in her throat when Daryl stepped forward, a slow and calculated walk. She turned and ran, not knowing what else to do except keep going. Unable to do anything else.

She could hear running feet along with yelling all through the woods. None of it was decipherable. They weren't even speaking a language. Just yelling. The yells turned to barks and growls, the sounds of wild animals.

Feet pounded the earth behind her and an arm was around her waist. She was pulled back roughly, her back hitting a solid chest and the breath whooshing out of her with the force. No. No, no no. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Something was wrong.

She felt claws dig into her hip and looked down to see something that would have made her faint if any of it was real.

The fingers were elongated, the bones stretched and thicker, ending in sharp claws. A face pressed against her throat and shoulder and a snarl ripped through the chest of her captor. She was too scared to turn her head but she found that she had a little more control than usual. She looked out at the trees and saw shadowed outlines of creatures out of a horror movie. Beast-men surrounded her and growled low in their throats.

Another snarl came from her captor before he shoved her to the ground. She rolled onto her side and came up in a defensive crouch, scanning the area for some kind of escape. One of the creatures took a step forward and the one behind her stepped forward.

She recognized Daryl, even if he was twice his normal size and looked like a werewolf from a Hollywood movie. He roared and the other beast-man stepped back with a growl. Wolf-Daryl lunged and snapped his large teeth near the other's face and Beth stood up. She wasn't sure what she was doing, she could only control so much. She could feel all eyes on her as she stood straight, her shoulders in a proud line.

Looking at Daryl's transformed face, she reached a hand out and whispered, "Help me." before falling to her knees again and screaming. Her back arched like a string was pulling her stomach forward. A wave of "something" washed over every living thing in that clearing and they all screamed. One word whispered through all of them. Run. So Beth shot to her feet and ran.

She didn't recognize anything anymore. This was not her dream. She didn't know what this was. But it terrified her. But she ran, ducked, jumped, tripped, rolled and ran again. The snarls stayed behind her, the sounds of animals tearing each other apart bringing her relief and worry in equal measures.

Beth gave herself over to the dream, just enough to keep her running, enough to keep her ahead of all those inhuman beasts. It didn't last long. A collective howl shattered the air and she knew they realized she was gone. She couldn't climb, they'd find her. She couldn't keep running, they'd catch her.

Howls and snarls were cut short, lives ending, and she kept running, thinking, trying to find a way out. A thought came to her and before she could decide if it would help or not she cried out.

"Daryl!"

A flash of movement and he was beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her feet off of the ground. He ran with her, his claws digging into the meat of her thighs and she knew what this was about. She knew what had to happen.

"Stop! Stop, Daryl. Stop." She said.

He listened, placing her on her feet and she wasn't scared anymore. She was invigorated, power flowing through her veins.

Wolf-Daryl still looked like Daryl, his face was still his own but his teeth were sharp and his eyes glowed a different shade of blue. It was his body that had changed. He was larger, more muscled and his hands were those strange claws.

Without wasting time, Beth rushed at him and kissed him, some kind of instinct taking over her dream-mind. When his hands cupped her ass and lifted her she wasted no time in wrapping her legs around him.

Daryl moved them to the ground and placed her on the grass, the moon shining brighter than it ever could in the real world. He used a claw and shredded her camisole and panties before ripping his own clothes from his body.

It wasn't gentle, as he pushed his way inside of her, but nothing hurt her. Not in this world. Not with Daryl. Her fingers tugged at his hair as he thrust in and out of her, powerful, animalistic movements. When she turned her head to the side she watched his claws dig deep furrows in the dirt, muscles tightening and releasing. As she felt herself coming howls rose up around them and she screamed her release at the moon. It didn't take much longer and wolf-Daryl was howling at the sky along with his temporary pack of beast-men. With his head thrown back and his teeth bared, Beth couldn't help but admire the wildness of him and how well he fit into nature.

With a gasp, she sat up in their bed, the sky still dark outside their window, and looked over at a still sleeping Daryl. Her muscles were exhausted and her body was covered in a light sheen of sweat, almost like she'd really been running. That was the first time her nightmare had ended on a good note and she was grateful.

But she was also embarrassed. She'd had sex dreams before, of course, but nothing like that. She lay back in the bed, running her hands over her face and trying to cool her overheated body. The dream was great. But it wasn't the real thing. No. The real thing was laying beside her, silently sleeping, oblivious to her dream or thoughts.

Beth didn't realize she was staring until he cracked one eye open and looked at her, a question in his gaze. She knew her face was flushed and was glad that it was dark out still.

"Go back to sleep for a while. I'll start breakfast." She told him as she stood up.

He nodded and closed his eyes again as she pulled on a pair of jeans. She walked downstairs and opened the back door for Brutus. As he ran around the yard she lit the wood in the stove and poured water into a pot. She added some oatmeal and honey after it began to boil.

Daryl walked into the kitchen as she was pouring the oatmeal into bowls. A loud clap of thunder shook the house and she jumped, spilling some of the food. Cursing, she moved to grab a rag but Daryl was already there, cleaning up the small mess she'd made.

Brutus shook the water from his fur before stepping into the kitchen and plopping down on the floor. Daryl filled a bowl with canned soup and placed it onto the floor for Brutus before sitting at the table to eat breakfast with Beth. The thought flashed through Beth's mind that they were almost a normal, happy family. Almost.

DPOV

The thunder had opened the sky and now a storm was raging outside. Daryl didn't really mind, though. Not when he could sit inside their warm house, the wood stove providing heat, with Beth's back pressed against his front and their dog laying on the floor beside the couch, snoring softly.

The thought drifted through his mind that he could be doing other things to her rather than reading but he was content to be where he was. Of course, he was semi-hard but that was normal lately. He didn't really want sex right now, laying with her like this was much more intimate to him and he was enjoying it.

"You know, when I was a kid, after my ma died, there was this storm. The worst storm I ever saw." He started to tell her, breaking their silence. "I thought it would tear the house down. And I remember wishing it would. Wishing it could just carry me away from there."

Beth turned her head to look at him with a sad, thoughtful. She stretched up and pressed her lips to his jaw, nuzzling against him.

"You're my storm, Beth." He told her in a whisper.

She turned her body towards him more and reached to press her lips against his firmly.

"What about you?" He asked her as she pulled back.

"Well, when I was about five, I think, Hurricane Opal hit. I remember being so scared because I didn't know how to swim that well yet and Shawn had told me that a hurricane was like a wall of water. Of course, I learned that he got a tsunami and a hurricane confused." She laughed a little at the memory and Daryl could almost feel her pain.

"I'm sorry you lost him. I don't think I ever told you that. And your ma, too." He told her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's been over three years, I think." She leaned more fully against him. "I'm sorry about Merle. What he did-"

Daryl shook his head and she seemed to understand that he didn't want to talk about that because she let it go. With a sigh, she burrowed deeper into his embrace, telling him without words that she was there.

He could feel his eyes trying to burn and he closed them tightly, not wanting to reopen that particular wound. Then his eyes snapped open as he remembered something. He must have made osme motion because Beth sat up and looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"I have something for you." He said as he jumped up from the couch.

"Daryl?" He heard her call out to him as he ran up the stairs.

When he came back down she was sitting in the same place, with her feet on the couch and her arms around her legs. Her eyes met his before falling to his hands and her eyes widened. He sat next to her before handing it over.

Her hand touched the smooth leather covering and then she pressed her hand to her mouth. She started to sob and he wondered if he'd made a mistake. As her hands covered her face completely he put an arm around her and stayed silent.

"When?" She asked him when her sobs started to calm into weeping.

"Right before I found you. As the prison was under attack." He told her. "I would've gave it to you sooner but I-"

"Daryl, it's fine. If you had, I probably wouldn't have it now. God, Daryl. I just-thank you." She managed to say.

"Yeah, well, it's definitely gotten me through some things." He told her.

"If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." She whispered as she picked up Hershel's Bible and held it to her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: I do NOT own or profit from any of this. I am so sorry that it's taken so long for an update. I've had writer's block so bad. So, I've wrapped myself up in The Big Bang Theory and Shenny. It helps inspire me for Bethyl, somehow. So, here you guys go! I hope this chapter is enjoyed. Let me know! Constructive criticism is welcomed, along with comments or suggestions, but don't be mean. Thanks and enjoy!**_

RPOV

With a tired sigh, Rick ran his hands roughly over his face. It had been months since Daryl had left in search of Beth and he was beginning to worry that they wouldn't return. As he thought about what he should do, if he should send a search party or not, he heard a commotion outside of his office and got up to check.

Eyes widening, he saw Morgan in the hallway, arguing with the two guards they had on the wall, Mandy and Bill. When Morgan spotted him, Rick noticed the fresh scar on his face and the fear in his eyes. He pushed by the guards, ignoring their indignant noises, and started towards Rick.

"Where is she?" He asked, not bothering to mention a name, not needing to.

"I don't know." Rick's voice was low as he spoke slowly, knowing he had to handle this carefully.

"What. Do. You. Mean. You. Don't. Know." Morgan bit off every word, his jaw clenched tight, a muscle in his cheek twitching.

"She took off, disappeared a few months ago. Daryl followed her." He rushed to reply, noticing how tense Morgan's shoulders were, hoping Morgan didn't want to fight.

"Have you looked for them?" He growled.

"Not yet. I didn't wanna spook her, make it harder for Daryl to find her." Rick told him warily.

"Damn it, Rick!" Morgan yelled. "Do you have any idea what you've done? She can't be out there!"

"Why? What's goin' on?"

Morgan looked around at the people that had looked out of their offices. When he looked back at Rick there was a pain in his eyes that Rick knew too well. It hurt to see that fear in his friends eyes, especially when it concerned Beth.

"Let's talk somewhere private."

DPOV

Waking up with Beth in his arms every morning was one of the best things Daryl had ever experienced and he was absolutely convinced it couldn't get better. As he pressed his face into her neck she stirred and threw her leg over his hip, pulling him closer to her body. His breath caught before he released it in a hiss, trying to ignore his constant erection. He tried to pull his hips away from hers but she tightened her leg and wouldn't let him move. What he didn't expect was for her to place her hands on his shoulders and push as her leg pulled his hips forward.

Suddenly he was on his back with Beth straddling him and smiling sleepily. Before he could ask her what she was doing she pressed her lips to his. He groaned at the softness of them and used one hand to grip her hip as the other one made it's way under her shirt and up the soft skin of her back.

Over the last couple of week they'd slowly been progressing into a more physically intimate relationship. They didn't get far, just kissing, a little touching. It was enough for Daryl, more than he could've, or would've, ever hoped for.

When Beth rocked her hips he groaned and tightened his hold on her. She pulled back from the kiss with a gasp and swiftly yanked her shirt over her head, baring herself to him.

"Beth?" He questioned.

"Yeah. Yes." She said breathlessly with a nod, not needing to elaborate.

Pulling her down for another kiss he slid his tongue between her lips and tasted her. She tasted familiar, like home, but exhilarating. Her small hands slid against his bare chest and then she harshly raked her nails back down to his boxer briefs. His hips bucked as the tips of her fingers slid beneath the waistband but she didn't go any further.

Instead, she pulled back and sat up, pressing her hips harder against his, her warm center pressed against his hardness, two layers of thin cotton separating their bodies. Daryl couldn't help but stare at the picture she made, long blonde hair falling down her back in waves and small, high breasts with tight, pink nipples. His eyes trailed down her ribs and over her belly button. He'd always thought he was into softer women, curvier. But Beth was lean and muscular and he couldn't think of anything sexier than her.

Daryl loved watching her workout, sweat gleaming on her toned body as she twisted it in ways he didn't think was possible. Watching her do yoga certainly wasn't boring.

Smiling at him, her eyes moved over her body the same way. He'd kept up a steady workout in Alexandria and he knew he was strong. He was also scarred but so was Beth. That was something they had in common. She was small, he was large. She was light, he was dark. They were both scarred in a million different ways, visible and not.

Watching her, she slid to the foot of the bed and stood up, slipping her panties down her legs and letting them fall to the floor. Daryl almost whimpered when he saw that she'd groomed herself, leaving only a small patch of hair in the shape of a heart.

Slowly crawling back up the bed, she looked like a predatory cat, all graceful movements and intense blue eyes. She grabbed his boxer briefs and pulled them down his legs, dropping them to the floor with her panties, and continuing her path up his body. She pressed a kiss to each of his hipbones before kissing his stomach, his chest, neck, chin, then lips.

Positioning herself over his erection, she let her body envelope him. Her head fell back and she cried out softly as he gripped her hips. She moved in a figure eight at first, slowly, teasingly, before looking at him again and rocking her hips, up and down, back and forth.

Groaning loudly, Daryl started moving with her, matching her rhythm as she looked into his eyes. It didn't take long before Beth started to tremble and tighten around him. She cried out and dug her nails into the skin of his stomach and he knew he'd have marks. Daryl kept thrusting, watching her ride out her orgasm before his came crashing over him like ocean waves.

With a whimper, Beth slid off of him and to the side before putting an arm across his stomach. She had one of her legs draped over his thigh and she rested her head on his shoulder. Daryl didn't say anything, just held onto her and tried not to let any doubts enter his mind.

RPOV

As he looked at the man angrily pacing across his living room he tried not to let his mind wander to the worst possible scenarios. The world certainly wasn't a pretty place, it never really had been. After a moment had passed and Morgan still hadn't spoken, Rick stood up straight from his leaning position and uncrossed his arms.

At that, Morgan stopped pacing and leveled another glare at Rick. With a disgusted shake of his head, he turned away then turned right back around.

"How could you let this happen, Rick? I trusted you." Morgan spoke with a growl and Rick recognized the feelings under that raw anger. It was the love a father had for his child, the fear and pain of not knowing if they were okay, if they'd ever be okay. He'd seen it in Morgan before but never thought he'd see it in him again.

"Morgan, I'm sorry. But all I can tell you is after the altercation, after Kayla died, Beth disappeared. She was just gone." He hated speaking those words, they reminded him of Daryl finding him on the side of that road with those men threatening Michonne and Carl. But they were the most accurate words, the words Daryl used when he ran into Rick's house, frantic because it was the third time he'd lost her.

"Gone?" Morgan huffed an unexpected and very unhappy laugh. "Just gone? She worked so hard to get here, Rick. She wouldn't just leave."

"Morgan-" Rick started to speak but was quickly cut off.

"How long? How long was she gone before someone followed her?" He asked in a low voice.

"Only a few hours." Rick told him. "And, like I told you, it was Daryl. He knows what he's doing. They've both been gone a while but that doesn't tell us anything, Morgan."

With a nod, Morgan finally moved to a chair and took a seat. His fingers slid across the fresh scar that went from his temple to his jaw and he seemed to come to a decision.

"I need a day or two. Some sleep and food. Then I have to go find her. Or them. There's people after her, Rick. And I won't let them take her without a fight."

Rick felt his eyes widen but he quickly composed himself and started thinking of a plan.

"Okay. You can stay in your room at Daryl's. I know he wouldn't mind. I'll call a meeting. Just Michonne, Carol, Maggie and Glenn. The rest of the family. We'll get a plan together. We'll help you, Morgan. We'll find Beth and Daryl."

BPOV

Getting out of their shared bed, Beth stretched her arms above her head, pushing the sleep out of her body. As she lowered her arms she listened to the bed shift behind her and felt Daryl stand up. He was directly behind her but making sure not to touch her. Holding her breath, she waited to see what would happen. She felt his body heat, his energy, as he raised a hand and ghosted his fingers a hairsbreadth from the skin on her shoulder. His other hand raised and did the same thing.

She took a breath to speak but he beat her to it. "Shh."

Slowly releasing the breath, she stayed absolutely still as his fingers moved, staying just above her skin and moving across her shoulders, down her spine. She'd pulled her hair into a bun after she kept laying on it so there was nothing blocking the path of Daryl's fingers.

The warmth of his skin seemed to be concentrated in his fingertips as he slid them over her backside. She felt, more than heard, him move to his knees behind her. He kept up the same tortuous movements, moving down her thighs, her calves. He moved back up and when he got to her shoulders, he walked around her so they were face to face.

Beth's breath hitched when she saw him standing naked and proud in front of her. She rarely felt small these days. She knew she was, physically, but with the strength she'd gained over the past few years she rarely felt it. With Daryl's large frame standing over her, his body bare and her eyes able to see every muscle uninterrupted, she felt small. He was more than twice her size.

Keeping that infinitesimal distance, he moved his fingertips down the sides of her face and her head fell back as they moved over her throat. She wanted to press closer, let his palm press against her throat, his fingers wrapping around her. She wanted to feel that strength, but she held herself still. This wasn't about her. This was about both of them.

As his fingers moved past her shoulders and over her breasts a sigh escaped her throat. She could see a smile in Daryl's eyes, mixed with admiration. He moved his hands down her stomach and he knelt again. Beth bit her lip as he moved over her hips and down her thighs. He went all the way to her toes and back up again.

When he was standing again, Beth thought he'd kiss her, speak, something. Instead, he moved behind her again. She turned her head to look at him, but he shook his head and she turned around again.

As his fingers made contact with her skin she could feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest and she tried to keep her breathing even. His palms touched the back of her neck and he moved his hands in the same path. Down her shoulders, her back, her hips. When he slid them over her backside and to her thighs, a whimper escaped her throat. His fingertips were so, so close to where she wanted them. But he kept moving.

His hands slid down her thighs, to her calves and all the way back up again. He repeated the process in front of her and when his rough palms slid over her sensitive nipples, she couldn't help but arch towards him. Daryl continued moving down her ribs, her stomach.

When he dropped to his knees, she sucked in a breath but stayed still. His palms slid down her thighs, to her toes, and back up.

An impatient noise escaped her throat when he moved behind her again. What she didn't expect was for him to press his lips to the nape of her neck. He traced a circle with his tongue before sucking lightly and Beth gasped. The anticipation was becoming too much to bare and she could feel the wetness dripping from her nether lips.

He kissed, licked, and sucked his way down her back, over her backside, which was a completely new sensation for her, and down her thighs. He stopped before he got to her calves and moved back up. Beth cried out as Daryl sucked at a spot on the small of her back and she could almost feel his smirk.

As he finally made his way to the front of her, Beth's legs were shaking and she was questioning her ability to stand much longer. Daryl moved down her throat. Kiss. Lick. Suck. She moaned as he moved over her clavicle and between her breasts. She made a noise of protest when he moved around her nipples without touching them but he didn't return or offer an explanation.

His path continued down her body in the same path, ribs, hips, thighs. He stopped above her knees and moved up again. Her fists clenched as he licked at the inside of her thighs, something he'd been studiously avoiding. When he started moving up, she couldn't breathe. Then he traced his tongue over her slit and Beth threw her head back with a moan.

Daryl gripped her hips as she tunneled her fingers through his long hair. His tongue continued to tease her folds, making her hips rock, before he closed his lips over her clit and sucked her into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the bundle of nerves, causing her to cry out and grip his hair harder, pulling him closer.

Just as she was about to come, he pulled away, kissing her once, a soft press of lips. She tried to protest but he started kissing his way up her stomach, ignoring her noises.

When he made it to her breasts he took turns kissing her nipples. He'd kiss one, then lick a circle around it before sucking it into his mouth, a parody to what he'd just done to her clit. Then he'd switch to the next one. He kept going back and forth until Beth was frantically pulling at his hair, begging him to kiss her as her hips rocked, trying to find friction but finding only air.

Finally, he gripped her hips and pushed her towards the bed. She sat down on the edge and he stayed standing as he lifted her hips and plunged himself inside her. The angle was harsh, only Beth's shoulders and head were touching the bed, but she didn't care. The anticipation and teasing had been almost unbearable. The sensation of him inside of her was enough to push her over the edge and she came, screaming his name.

Daryl continued to thrust inside of her, searching for his own release as her walls tightened around him. It didn't take long for him to reach orgasm as he watched Beth throw her head back and twist the sheets in her hands. She knew the sight of her experiencing so much pleasure was enough to throw him over the edge into blissful oblivion.

RPOV

As he watched his family sitting in his house, discussing strategy, Rick couldn't help but remember how this all started. Waking up in that hospital, worried about his family. Glenn saving him in Atlanta. Finding his family at the Atlanta camp, running after a small herd attacked, the CDC and Jenner. Sophia getting lost, the deer, Carl getting shot. Finding Hershel's farm.

Remembering meeting Hershel's daughters, Maggie and Beth. Thinking how beautiful they were, are. He remembered blushing when Beth had called him Mr. Grimes and Lori teasing him for it. He remembered accidentally mentioning to Daryl how beautiful and ethereal Beth seemed to be at the end of the world. And Daryl just nodding. Rick took it as indifference, but that was before he knew Daryl. Now he knew it was captivation. Daryl had been utterly enthralled by the small, blonde angel.

They'd had to run again, the farm got over run the same night that Shane died. Everyone showed their inner strength, their will to fight. They found the prison and thought it was home. Lori died, the Governor came, Merle died, Hershel died. They got separated, ran, ended up at Terminus with cannibals.

They got out, thanks to Carol, and made new friends. Found the church. Rick tried to get Beth back from the hospital, everyone did. Sometimes, he wondered if Daryl shouldn't have just gone in without them. Or maybe they should have killed every last one of them.

Beth died and then everyone was just surviving. Daryl was ready to give up. Then they got to Alexandria. And Daryl left, unable to cope, unable to live even a semi-normal life. So much had happened between this group.

Some were no longer with them. Some of the group didn't have the chance to meet previous members but they definitely heard of them. They were all connected, through pain, anger, loss, and love. It was a strange mix, with Eugene, socially inept science nerd, and Tara, the tough lesbian, laughing together, Noah, the young boy from the suburbs that survived Grady, shaking his head at his two best friends.

Abraham, the soldier, and Rosita, the pretty but tough girl, were sitting next to Maggie, the trouble making farmer's daughter, and Glenn, the geeky adventurer, smiling and talking about starting a family. Sasha, another soldier, sat with Carol, the former abused housewife turned female Rambo, talking about their day at work. Michonne, the former lawyer turned samurai, sat beside Rick, the former sheriff turned leader, Carl, the little boy turned protective man, on her other side, his head sleepily on her shoulder. A family. Eclectic, strange, with nothing in common. But a family.

Rick could see a wistfulness in Morgan's eyes, a wish for things to be the same but different. A hope for Beth to be okay and come back to him, safe.

"Alright." Rick spoke, calling everyone's attention. "We know what we're gonna do. Now, who's gonna do it?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: enjoy. sorry about the delay.**_

DPOV

With a brief glance into the living room, Daryl confirmed for himself that Beth was indeed outside. It'd been raining on and off for almost a week and they'd both decided that they would be fine just staying indoors. There was no need to take any risks when they had all the supplies they needed inside the house.

As he stepped onto the back porch his eyes immediately landed on the woman that took over his waking mind. Her right side was facing him and Daryl watched as she bent forward at the hips, making an L-shape with her torso perfectly parallel to the ground. Her arms came out to the sides and he finally noticed the concrete weights in her hands.

She was using the twenty pound ones an her muscles flexed and strained as she slowly lowered her arms in a straight line towards the ground before lifting them again. Beth moved slowly, controlling the weights instead of letting them control her and free-fall. That's how you knew you were doing it right. If your arms fell under the weight then you were using too much and there wasn't even a point in working out.

After a moment, she looked to the side and her eyes met Daryl's, blue on blue. She smiled brilliantly and he couldn't help but give her an answering grin. Things had been good lately and instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop they were enjoying it, enjoying each other.

"Come spar with me." She called to him as she carried the weights to their place on the back porch.

"Nah." He told her with a small shake of his head.

"Daryl. I need to practice. We both do." She said as she looked him in the eyes.

With a sigh, he followed her out to the yard, watching as she slid into a predatory stance. It wasn't anything obvious, but something just underneath the surface, the way her weight shifted. He'd be lying if he said it didn't do something for him.

"Don't hold back, I won't." Was all Beth said before she slid into a crouch and struck out.

Her fist hit his lower gut and Daryl grunted, bending over slightly, instinctively protecting the soft spots. It was exactly what Beth wanted because she followed through with a right hook that hit him in the jaw. It rocked his head back and momentarily stunned him but he shrugged it off as he took two quick steps back to regroup. He had to do it fast because Beth followed him, watching him like prey. It wasn't a feeling that he was used to.

When Beth moved to hit him again he blocked it, grabbing her arm and leaving her left side wide open. He brought his knee up into her ribs but she moved with it, lessening the blow. Her right fist came up but Daryl blocked her again and pushed her back, advancing on her at the same time.

Beth kicked out and he grabbed her leg, hand gripping her calf muscle, and pulled up. She fell backwards and Daryl followed her, trying to gain the upper hand. He tried to straddle her hips but Beth moved her knees towards her chest. She grabbed Daryl's shoulders before kicking the soles of her feet into his sternum and he found himself flying through the air for a moment before landing on his back with Beth on top of him.

She'd flipped him right over her head and her legs were wrapped around his thighs, her calves tightly clenched to hold on if he tried to move. Bringing her right arm back, Beth twisted her upper body and landed a blow to Daryl's left cheek. His head hit the ground. She moved to hit him again, but Daryl put one arm up to block and reached for her with his other hand.

Rolling away from him, he saw the slight smile on Beth's face and was amazed. She was having fun. She was fast, she definitely had that advantage. But he had size on her and he'd have to use it.

Daryl had never had to use his size, not since the last time his old man had tried to put his hands on him. He wasn't in the habit of fighting people considerably smaller than him. But Beth had actual training. He'd have to ask her about some of it. Maybe she could teach him a few things.

When she came at him again, they were both standing and Daryl grabbed her slim shoulders in his large hands. He knew this might hurt her but she was tough and he'd try to soften it for her.

Before her hands could reach up and grab him back, he slipped his left leg between hers, hooked his calf around hers and pulled while pushing his upper body forward. They fell with him on top of her and her legs on either side of his waist. He pressed more weight down, widening the space between her legs and keeping her from kicking him.

Daryl's hands were still on her shoulders and he quickly slid them down her arms and gripped her wrists. He felt her lips slide across his throat and he almost lost his train of thought until he felt her teeth. Immediately, he tucked his chin closer to his chest and pressed the top of his head to her jaw, pressing up so she couldn't bite him.

Twisting and bucking, Beth tried to get free but finally sighed. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Daryl asked, his voice muffled slightly.

"You got this one." She said and he felt her nod.

Relaxing, he pulled back and got to his feet. He reached out for her and she accepted his hand. They dusted the dirt and grass from their clothes and sat on the porch steps together.

"Yer quick." He told her.

"I've always been fast Daryl."

Nodding, he looked around at the large yard and forest behind it. Beth stiffened beside him and a second later he heard a twig snap. Without a word, Beth was up and running, Brutus on her heels. Daryl cursed and took off after them.

BPOV

Hearing the twig snap had pulled Beth out of her relaxed contemplation. She hadn't stopped to think that Daryl could help her or that she should wait for him. She'd just ran. Her sharp eyes quickly caught sight of something moving a ways in head of her. She let out a low whistle and Brutus dropped back from her before veering off to the side. They'd try to flank who or whatever was ahead of them.

The tracks she noticed weren't erratic or shuffling so she'd have bet her last meal on it being a human. Why were they spying on her and Daryl, though? Was it the guys she was running from? They'd have to pack their things and leave if she didn't catch up to this person. Maybe even if she did.

The sound of nearly silent running followed behind her and she knew Daryl would be angry. She knew she was being selfish, just like when she'd left Alexandria.

Ahead of her she heard someone curse and then Brutus yelped. She felt her eyes widen as she put on a burst of speed, not caring if they heard her coming. If they hurt her dog, they'd need all the advantages they could get.

A flash of color caught her attention and then she saw who she'd been chasing. A girl of about sixteen was trying to pull a pack out of Brutus's mouth and a boy about Carl's age had a stick and was about to hit Brutus in the back.

Without stopping to think, Beth unsheathed her knife and slammed her body into the boy from the side. His stick fell out of his hand and Beth twisted to get behind him. She wrapped her body around him, hiding all the vital areas, and pressed a knife to his throat.

"Drop it." She snarled at the girl.

The boy tried to twist but Beth pressed the knife point under his jaw piercing the skin slightly. He gasped and the girl dropped the pack.

"Brian." She cried and took a step forward.

"Don't move." Another voice spoke and Beth moved her eyes just enough to see Daryl approach with his crossbow pointed at the girl.

"I'm going to move." Beth said from her position behind Brian. "If you try anything, I will slit your throat. My life is worth more than yours, to me."

The boy, Brian, nodded and Beth slowly let go of him. He rolled over and she moved backwards before standing up. She whistled again and Brutus carried the pack over to her. Opening it, Beth saw only a few items of clothing and a couple dull knives.

"Why were you spying on us?" Beth asked as she let the pack fall to her feet. Maybe she'd give it back. Maybe.

"We weren't." The girl answered.

"Christie-" Brian started to interrupt.

"Shut up, boy." Daryl told him with a glare. Beth knew the glare wasn't only for Brian. Daryl was pissed and at least half of it was because of her.

"We weren't spying on you." Christie said. "We were just walking and we heard noises. I wanted to see what was going on but Brian didn't. I walked off without him and saw you two fighting. I thought it was serious so I asked Brian to come help. But when we got there you were sitting together, smiling. We didn't know what was going on. Then we got scared and ran."

Eyeing them skeptically, Beth tilted her head, wondering if that was the truth. "Why were you out walking?"

"We have nothing else to do." Christie gave a harsh laugh. "It's just us. It's been just us for a long time."

"Come on." Beth said after assessing the situation.

Daryl looked at her with a question in his eyes but didn't say anything. Beth started to walk and Christie fell in next to her. Brian followed and Daryl walked behind him. Brutus picked up the dropped pack and trotted up to Beth, pressing against her for a moment and she ran a hand down his back.

"And Brian, if you hit my dog again, I'll kill you." She said in a matter of fact tone.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. I've had a lot of things happening but then again, doesn't everybody? Well, I hope everyone likes this chapter. Let me know what you think. If you have any questions, ask me. Enjoy.**_

DPOV

He knew they couldn't be lucky enough to have the storms completely over with. Daryl wasn't sure about the weather in these parts, he hadn't lived around here long enough to make accurate predictions. So when the bottom fell out of the sky as they were walking through the woods, he couldn't say he was surprised. He wasn't necessarily unhappy either. Not about the rain anyway. He was pretty pissed at Beth though. She ran off into the woods without him, got into an altercation without him, and then invited strangers back to their house without him. He was definitely pretty pissed at Beth.

As he stepped through their back door, he slammed the door and stomped past all three of the people now in his kitchen. His heavy boots made a lot more noise than usual as he made his way up the stairs and slammed into their bedroom. Stripping quickly, Daryl dried off and pulled on dry clothes, leaving his boots by the door to air out. He sat heavily on the bed, listening to the rain pound on the roof. It kept him from hearing what was going on downstairs and that realization made him feel anxious. With a sigh he stood up again and headed downstairs, prepared to avoid eye contact with everyone as he kept an eye on Beth.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he heard Beth talking to the pair as they walked into the living room. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched silently.

"There's two more rooms upstairs. You can share one, you can have separate rooms, or sleep down here. There are extra clothes in the bedrooms if you want to see if there's something for you both to change into."

When Beth glanced up at him Daryl noticed that she looked tired. Not like she needed sleep but like she was just tired. Of everything. He felt a moment of guilt for being angry with her but that soon faded as he looked at their two new "guests". From the looks of them they wouldn't be much trouble but Daryl knew you could never be too careful these days. They both looked at Daryl, fear clear on their faces, and he scoffed before turning on his heel and heading up the stairs again.

When he heard Beth's light steps behind him he was surprised but he shouldn't have been. Beth from before didn't back down when he was acting stupid why should this Beth. After all, she was still the same girl. He didn't bother closing the door behind him because she was hot in his heels. She did close it behind her, though. He turned to face her and Daryl had a moment to think that maybe this would be another BIG FIGHT, like at the moonshine still. But then Beth was pressed against him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He felt his boiling blood lower to a simmer before he pulled back and ran a hand down his face. He was tired, too.

"Daryl. I know yer mad." She said as he turned his back. He laughed bitterly, what an understatement. "And I'm sorry for runnin' off like that."

Surprised he turned back around to face her. She looked down at the floor and then seemed to realize that her clothes were still wet. She started removing them as she walked to the dresser to find something else to wear.

"When it was jus' me, at the hospital, I didn't have anyone to discuss things with. I had to make my own decisions based on my own judgment. And then Morgan came after I was shot. He let me make my own decisions still. He said he didn't need dead weight."

Daryl moved to speak but Beth looked over her shoulder and shook her head at him. In one part of his mind he registered that she was only wearing a pair of panties, her back completely bare, but he pushed those thoughts away. It was easier when she slipped a long-sleeve white thermal shirt on. But then she slipped the panties down her legs and the shirt barely covered her ass and he forgot that he was supposed to be listening. He shook himself and looked at the floor.

"He said he couldn't be the one to take care of me. I needed to take care of myself. So that's what I did. Now, I know he said that because he needed me as much as I needed him. And if anything happened to him, he wanted me to be okay. He wanted me to make it. And I did."

He looked up again when he heard her footsteps. Letting his eyes travel slowly up her legs, he saw she was wearing black socks that blended with the black leggings she had on. The thermal she'd pulled on was thick enough to disguise the fact that she'd forgone a bra. Her hair had been released from its braid and the long blonde locks were damp, hanging down her back. She smiled at him as she stepped closer, placing her hands on his chest and leaning into him.

"I'm sorry, Daryl. I should have talked to you before I even left the porch. Just, try to give me some time to remember what being part of a team really means."

He knew he would never refuse her a single thing so he just nodded as he wrapped her up in a hug. Every moment of affection between them, innocent or not, felt new and he never tired of simply being able to touch her. He never wanted to lose that feeling.

They made their way down the stairs together and Daryl almost laughed at the two new-comers. He settled for a smirk as he watched Brutus standing close to the bottom of the stairs, seeming to guard Daryl and Beth. He loved that wolf, he really did. It scared him sometimes, getting attached to living things these days was dangerous. Some people probably wouldn't even understand that he genuinely felt like the large black beast was family to him, same as any human had ever been. But he figured they didn't really have to understand it. That's just the way it was.

"Okay. I'm going to fix something for lunch. You're welcome to look around." Beth said to them as she headed for the kitchen.

Daryl thought about following her but decided he'd do better to stay in the living room. They weren't alone and sometimes he had a tendency to let his hands wander. So he sat in the recliner across from Brian and Christie. Almost as soon as he was seated Christie jumped up and looked at Brian.

"I'm gonna see if I can help." She said as she rushed out of the room.

Brian's eyes widened but before he could say anything she was out of the room. Daryl arched a brow as Brian looked at him and guiltily enjoyed watching the boy squirm.

BPOV

When Beth heard someone approaching she looked over her shoulder and felt a slight pang of disappointment that it wasn't Daryl. She smiled at Christie, trying to be friendly, as the girl walked over to her.

"Can I do anything?" She asked Beth in a soft voice.

"There's really not much to do but you could keep me company." Beth suggested, wanting the girl to feel comfortable.

"So, your friend-." Christie started but stopped when Beth looked up sharply. "I mean, um. Is he your…"

"We're together." Beth said simply.

"Like married?" Christie asked.

"We're as together as you can get."

"Oh." The girl said with a slight blush and Beth had a feeling that Christie's original fear was draining away and allowing her to really notice Daryl. Feeling a moment of pride and pity both, Beth's smile turned softer.

"What about Brian? Isn't that his name?" Beth asked her, wondering about the nature of their relationship.

"He's my brother. Different dads." Christie shrugged and Beth nodded in understanding. Before she could think of anything else to add, Daryl came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter beside Beth. She smiled up at him and he stared back at her as he slid an arm across the front of her body and gripped her hip. They barely noticed Christie leave the room as Daryl's hand slipped under her thermal shirt, pulling it up slightly so his hand could find her bare skin. Beth felt a shiver go down her spine as he leaned closer and lowered his head towards her. He kissed her lightly on the mouth before sliding his lips along her jaw and down the side of her throat.

She tilted her head to give him more access and he pulled her closer. When he maneuvered her in front of him, he reached both hands down to her ass and squeezed, pulling her hips sharply against his, letting her feel how much he wanted her.

Letting her slim fingers tangle in his hair she gasped as he bit down lightly on her pulse. The sound of someone clearing their throat jolted her back to reality and Beth blushed when she saw Brian standing in the kitchen doorway, Christie right behind him. It was obvious that Christie was the one that cleared her throat and Beth looked back at Daryl. He had a smirk on his face and Beth had a feeling that maybe Brian had been standing there longer than she realized and Daryl had been sending him a message. Beth shook her head before dishing out the stew she'd been heating up. She had a feeling that this was either going to be really interesting or really tiring. Maybe both.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: I do NOT own any of this except the OCs. I'm sorry for such a long wait. I recently updated my other story Seven Spanish Angels. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions PM me or review. I don't mind at all. Thank you everyone for still following this story. And thank you all for the faves and reviews. It really means a lot to me. enjoy! :)**_

DPOV

A shadow fell over the grass and spilled towards his booted feet as he was sharpening his bolts, kind of wishing he could find new ones. With an inward sigh he looked up to see Brian looking around like something had spooked him. Daryl narrowed his eyes as Brian opened his mouth to speak and closed it before a sound could be uttered. Brian and Christie had only been with them for two days but it felt like two weeks to Daryl, though he tried not to let it show too much. He'd been enjoying his time with Beth and now he was considering getting her to head back towards Alexandria. He didn't know if he could manage it but he figured if he had to be around people he'd like it to be his family.

"What, boy?" He finally barked as Brian just stood there, looking around, up, down, anywhere but at Daryl.

"I think. Well," Brian seemed unsure about what he was trying to say but Daryl wasn't all that great with words himself so he didn't know how to help him. Or if he would even want to. "IthinksomeguysinourlastcampknewBeth."

When Brian managed to blurt the words out, turning them into one word in the process, Daryl felt his shoulders tighten and his heart thump heavily in his chest. A spike of fear ran down his spine as he shot to his feet and stared the younger man down. He knew the look on his face all too well. He used to hate himself for using it but that was back before the end of the world.

"Whatchu mean?" He growled lowly.

"I, I, I mean, they talked about this girl. Said they were looking for someone with blonde hair and scars. Small girl, they said. From the description it sounded like Beth. They said she was a part of their camp but-"

Before he could finish, Daryl shoved past him and rushed to the house, to Beth. He had a feeling he knew who Brian was talking about. One of them was dead. There would only be one more. Or should've. From the way Brian talked, there were more.

When he flung open the back door, Brutus jumped to attention, teeth bared and hackles raised, before he recognized Daryl. Daryl felt like him and Brutus looked a lot alike in that moment.

"Beth!" He called out loudly, knowing she'd hear him from wherever she was.

"What?" She called breathlessly as he heard her feet tapping the stairs, in her rush she was still almost silent. "What happened?"

"Where's the girl?" He asked as he looked past her.

"She's upstairs, washing clothes. What is it, Daryl?" She asked as she stopped in front of him. She didn't touch him or reach for him, she just looked at him and he could feel it. That calm she had deep inside of her, the love she felt for him.

"I'll tell you when she gets down here. Christie!" He called up the stairs.

He heard Brian come in the back door and turned to look at him. He didn't really want to turn his back on the boy now that he thought about it. Or Christie for that matter. Not until he figured this out. What game they were playing. He didn't like that idea but he knew how people could be these days.

The girl came down the stairs with a bounce in her step and Daryl felt the slightest pang of guilt. She'd been nothing but sweet and helpful, a lot like Beth had been when he'd first met her on the farm.

"Sit down." He said in the softest tone he could manage at the moment. He really had a soft spot for the girl. And he kind of hated it.

"Now, just-" Brian started to speak and Daryl whipped his head around to glare at the boy.

"Sit the fuck down." Daryl snarled in his direction, seeing Christie scurry towards the sofa. He felt that pang of guilt again, but quickly shoved it away.

Brian's shoulders slumped as he moved to slip by Daryl and Beth. When they were both seated, Daryl put a hand on Beth's shoulder and motioned towards the chairs facing the sofa. After Beth sat down, Daryl took the seat next to her and looked at Brian, studied the way he looked down at his hands in his lap, the way his fingers seemed restless as they tightened and loosened around each other. The boy looked nervous but that could be because of Daryl. He might not be guilty. Maybe.

"He says the group they were with know you." Daryl spoke with a glance at Beth.

That glance let him see the subtle tightening of her already straight shoulders. There was no sharp intake of breath, no visible signs of shock, surprise, or discomfort. There really wasn't anything to go on except the feeling he got from her after knowing her so long and becoming so close. He felt her fear.

"Who were you with?" She asked in a flat, almost normal tone.

Christie looked confused and for a moment Daryl wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Brian? What are they talking about?" She asked her brother with a nervous tremor.

"She doesn't know." Brian spoke quickly, nerves clear in his shaky voice. "I never said anything to her. We weren't with them for long and I made sure she stayed far away from the men in that group. If you weren't someone's sister, daughter, or wife, then you were anyone's."

"What?" Christie's voice had gone hoarse but her brother pretended not to hear her.

"That's why I wanted to leave them. I told Christie that I thought we could do better on our own, that we'd only have to feed each other, protect each other." Brian said with a hint of shame in his voice. "I didn't tell her how the men really were. I didn't tell her that they mentioned looking for another girl. And I promised myself that if I came across that girl I would do whatever I could to warn her. They spoke like she was a missing part of their group, but the looks they had when they said it. They wanted to hurt her."

Daryl noticed that Beth hadn't spoken yet and he took a moment to look over at her. She was looking at Brian but her eyes weren't entirely focused, like she was seeing more than just him. He'd seen her get that way before. Her face was a stone mask, letting nothing through.

Abruptly, she stood and walked out of the room, heading for the back. Daryl didn't want to leave Christie and Brian alone but as the thought went through his mind he immediately dismissed it. They'd been in their house for two days and so far they hadn't actively done anything to hurt them. Christie had actually been helpful. So, his decision made, he got up and followed Beth.

When he stepped out onto the porch, he saw her sitting in the old swing, facing the house but looking down. Her head didn't lift as he walked towards her and he got worried. They'd made so much progress but this might be the thing to set her back, to make her leave. The thing that made her think he was better off without her.

"We need to head back to Alexandria." She spoke, still looking at the ground. "We need more people."

"Are you sure you're ready to go back?" He asked her, needing her to be honest with him, at least.

"No. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back. I'm not sure I'll be able to stay. But we need to try. For Christie. For Brian. For you."

"Don't worry about them. Or me. What do you think is best for you?" He wanted, no needed, to know. To give it to her. "We can give them directions. A map. Tell them who to talk to."

"No. We need to go back. We do, Daryl. We have to make sure those men don't get there. And if they do, we need to at least be there before them."

He could only nod at her reasoning. "Do you know the men he was talking about? You only ever mentioned two and at least one of them is dead."

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. Morgan and I met a lot of people while we were travelling. The one guy could've met another guy. You know how that goes. We didn't make a lot of enemies but you know as well as anyone. Some people are never your friend. They only want to take. There could be plenty of people out there that hate us for one reason or another."

"Okay." Was all he said. All he could think to say.

If she was ready for this, they'd go. With a sigh, he reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's go pack. Plan a route, a game plan for being on the road." He said.

As they walked across the yard her hand reached for his and he didn't hesitate, he twined their fingers together and they walked, hand in hand, into the house they'd made a home. Before they walked in to the living room he pulled hard on her hand and she stumbled against him. Her lips parted to speak and he quickly claimed her lips, backing her against the wall as her arms came around him. He needed this, her, for just a moment.

Putting one hand against the wall, his other hand grabbed her hip and pulled her against him roughly, letting her feel that need. She kissed him back eagerly and he knew there was one more thing they needed to do before they left this house.

Not giving her time to protest, he grabbed her hand again and hurried towards the stairs. He could hear Brian call out to them and when he didn't answer Christie hushed her brother and he heard Beth giggle. He decided he loved that noise. It wasn't his favorite but it was in the top five. She'd be making his favorites very soon.

They crashed through the bedroom door and he slammed it behind them, not really caring about the noise it made. Their guests knew what was about to happen. It was their fault if they actually heard it. They could go outside.

He quickly threw his clothes off, helping Beth do the same, as she laughed. They tripped, and stumbled and finally fell into the bed, both of them laughing. He felt a surge of happiness that he could cause her laughter after what she'd just learned, what they had to do. Choosing not to dwell on it, he ran his fingers up her sides, causing her to laugh harder and squirm.

When she did the same to him, the surprised laugh that came from him caused her own to get louder. He couldn't recall them ever being this playful in bed but he liked it. Liked making her smile and laugh. As they tickled and nipped at each other with their teeth, Daryl managed to roll them over so she was underneath him.

Their laughter faded to sighs as he slipped inside her and started to move, slowly, so slowly. She peppered kisses over his face before he glided his lips over her jaw and down her throat. It stayed slow, everything stayed slow, as they moved together in a familiar rhythm. Soft sighs, quiet moans.

When Beth came apart, Daryl kept his arms around her, trying to hold her together. He followed slowly after her, falling apart with her. As they came down he held her, needing to feel her heart next to his in this bedroom full of faded laughter and still echoing sighs.


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: I am SO sorry for this long wait. I won't bore you with details but I've also recently started shipping Eric x Tris from , what a pair. lol. But I've recently started a fic about them and I know I don't need to but it's been stuck in my head and so I've been running between three fics recently. So, my bad. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and faves and follows. None of this is mine except the ocs. If you wanna check out my Divergent fic it'll be up soon, if that's not your thing, that's cool, too. But let me know what you guys think of this, please. Enjoy!_**

RPOV

Worry seemed to be his constant companion. He had been familiar with the situation before the end of everything, being a cop brought plenty of its own worry. Now, though, he worried about more than bullets, knives, something he did coming back on his family.

No, now he worried about if they had enough bullets, were their knives sharp enough, did someone hold a grudge because their community prospered? He worried about people walking out of the gates and never coming back. It happened and sometimes you never knew why. You could guess, sure. But if you never saw them again you'd never know. If you did see them, more often than not, you had to put a bullet or blade through their brain.

He worried about small infections, cuts, colds, pregnancies, everything that was normal before could mean a death sentence now. Their community was doing well but it was nowhere close to what had been before.

Sure, they had a government system in place, people had jobs. There was a small hospital, it started as a boarding house but they'd converted it. There were doctors and nurses. A jail. People got ticketed and fined, there was law but Rick thought it more resembled the Wild West from old westerns than what they'd grown accustomed to over their lives.

It worked, though. For the most part. People got along, worked together, contributed. The walls were strong, he'd made damn sure of that. He couldn't have a repeat of the prison attack that still haunted his family. The attack that had cost them all so much.

But worry was still his constant companion. Rick was currently worried about his friend, Morgan, who'd gone out to look for Beth and Daryl. And he was worried about the people who'd went with him. Rosita had gone, promising everyone that she'd bring herself back, no matter what. Abraham and Carol had gone, they were two of the best at what they did, shooting and fighting. Abraham's brute strength had come in handy many times.

Glenn had wanted to go, felt responsible in a way he was unwilling to explain to anyone, even Maggie. Maggie had stayed and Carl went in her place. Seeing his son go to find his friends had made Rick feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. A certain pride. He was proud of Carl, there was no question. But seeing his son, now grown into a man, strap on his weapons, his gear, and still wearing that Sheriff hat from so long ago. It was a different kind of pride.

Michonne had wrapped her arms tightly around Carl and held him, like she didn't want to let go. But she finally did and they all walked out of the gate, together. They'd opted to take a car, Morgan had told them that he and Beth had a few stash houses and she'd be at one of them. He knew it. Maggie had started to argue but decided Morgan probably knew Beth better these days.

So, they'd left. And Rick was stuck with this worry. With a sigh, he sat up in his empty bed, wishing Michonne was there instead of early watch. She took on so much responsibility. He understood her need to stay busy. Being the leader didn't take up enough of his time. It took up a lot, since he'd opted for a democracy with veto power, but sometimes he found himself searching for things to do.

Quickly showering, he dressed for the day and grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to his office. His office. He really felt weird about that sometimes. But he absolutely had to put the time in today. There was paperwork he had to sign off on. The upside was Maggie was his aide and she'd be there with him. She was good at office stuff, filing papers, keeping track of papers, organizing absolutely everything.

Since he was only in the office when he had to be the same went for her. She was there more than him but she also did other things for the community. If he was honest, she really ran things.

When he got in, she was already seated at his desk, going over a stack of papers that people had left in their box. Complaints, suggestions, needs. With barely a glance at Rick she spoke up.

"We're gonna need Abraham to get one of his teams together. Shit. I forgot he left. Okay. We need Michonne to pick a team and send them on a run." She sounded rushed which meant she'd probably been there for a couple hours.

"Okay. Whatever you need." He told her the same thing he always told her.

"Well, that's what I need right now. I have to stop by the hospital today. They left a note. I might need Michonne after I talk to them." Maggie stood with purpose and took a stack of papers to a filing cabinet. "I'm gonna be next door for most of the day. People are coming in for interviews."

"Do you really think that's necessary?" Rick asked and immediately regretted it.

"Yes, Rick. It is necessary. History is very important. People are going to need to know what happened during this time. The world's starting again, even though most people don't believe it. And you've definitely earned your way into future text books." She finished with a smirk.

As she closed the file cabinet, Maggie turned to face him again. "This place, what's happening here, is extremely important."

With that, she calmly walked out of his office and he listened as she headed for the front door.

"I'll be back in twenty." She called back and Rick smiled as he sat at his desk. He knew Michonne would stop by at some point and he figured he could fill the time by reviewing what Maggie had made notes on.

BPOV

Packing up and going was one of Beth's strong points. It obviously wasn't the same for Christie and Brian. They'd had quite a time deciding what to take with them, even though they'd arrived three days ago with nothing.

"Look, take your time. We're not leaving until full night falls. Just make sure you're dressed before then. There's nothing worse than being caught without a weapon in this world."

If they though it odd that she equated having a weapon to being dressed they didn't mention it. So she continued to her own room to get ready for their impending departure. She already knew exactly what she was going to take, already had it packed. She removed the clothes she was wearing and put them into her pack after pulling out the clothes she wanted. She figured dark was the best option at night.

Daryl hadn't been keen on leaving at night but he conceded that no one would expect it so they'd have a head start if anyone was after them.

Pulling on a pair of leggings, she quickly layered black skinny jeans over them. Adjusting her inner pants holster, she zipped up. Adding a thigh holster for her machete, she pulled on her combat boots. She loved those boots almost as much as her cowboy boots. She slipped a small knife inside her boot before standing. Her tank top stayed on but she added a black t-shirt before adding her shoulder holster because no matter what people thought, holsters chafed when they rubbed bare skin. The unrelieved black made her skin and hair stand out but she'd slip on her leather jacket when it was time to go.

She added a few more weapons and holsters, knives, guns, a hatchet at her waist. And she picked up the small crossbow to take with her. She carried everything down stairs and set it in the living area. Brutus was laying on the couch and he lifted his ears when he saw her.

Since she'd missed him lately she took a moment to lay on the couch beside him. His body was longer than hers by well over a foot but she had never been scared of him. She figured he'd been a pet at some point, someone wanted to show off an exotic animal and decided wolf was as exotic as they were willing to get. As she lay beside him he let out a huff of air and she wrapped an arm around his body.

Curling against him had always given her a certain amount of comfort. Now, she let that same comfort flow through her as she closed her eyes and just held her dog. With a small sigh, her eyes still closed, she started to sing.

"When I see your smile, tears run down my face, I can't replace. And now that I'm strong I have figured out, how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul. And I know I'll find deep down inside me I can be the one.

I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I'll be the one.

I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

'Cause you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart. Please don't throw that away. 'Cause I'm here for you. Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay, whoa, stay, whoa.

Use me as you will. Pull my strings just for a thrill and I know I'll be okay. Though my skies are turning gray.

I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven."

A throat clearing had her cracking an eye to see Brian standing on the far side of the room. She wasn't particularly happy to see him but she sat up and gave him a questioning look.

"Um. Wow, you look different. And that was great, by the way." He said and shook his head. "I think we have everything ready."

"Okay. Bring it down here. Daryl will be back any minute." She answered, just wanting to lay with Brutus a little while. She knew she'd get plenty of opportunity on the trip back to Alexandria but it wouldn't be nearly as relaxing.

Brian began nodding his head and Beth didn't even try to hide her heavy sigh as she reluctantly stood up. She really just wanted a minute to herself. She was nervous, maybe a little scared, because she figured there were only so many times a person could cheat death. She didn't know if she could survive whatever was coming their way and that didn't frighten her but leaving everyone behind, again, did.

So, she wanted a moment by herself to just consider the prospect and try to adjust to the possibility. But she wasn't going to get that. It was, perhaps, selfish of her to think she would. She was, after all, taking two people to a community they didn't know about under the cover of night. Maybe they were just as frightened.

Beth had no idea how to reassure them because she knew anything would sound false at this point. How could they possibly trust her when they didn't know her? And here they were, having to run from complete strangers because of her.

Stepping forward, she watched as Brian took a step back before realizing what he did. But he didn't take that step back and Beth was grateful.

"Look, I'm going to do what I can to get us to Alexandria. And if I can't Daryl will." She told him as she looked him in the eyes.

"He doesn't even know us. Or really care for us. He'd trade us to save you." Brian said like it was a fact.

"No. Daryl isn't that kind of man." She told him firmly. "He won't leave you on your own."

Brian didn't look like he believed her but Beth didn't know what else to say. She didn't have a chance to think about it because suddenly Daryl was walking through the back door, a serious but happy look on his face.

"Got a car." He told them.

Without preamble they quickly began loading things into the trunk before piling into the car. And suddenly they were leaving their safe haven behind, hoping they'd make it to Alexandria. Hoping they'd get to see their family again.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: I really hate updating stuff like this but I wanted to let everyone know that my two open fics are currently on a temporary hiatus. Hopefully, it won't be long but I'm a little overwhelmed by life at the moment and having a little trouble getting the right inspiration for these characters. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me on Tumblr. Thanks for your patience and I apologize.**_


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